With big flavor, crisp edges, and mega chewy centers, these maple brown sugar cookies are a definite favorite. Top with maple icing for the ultimate fall cookie! Chilling the cookie dough is imperative, so set aside 2 hours or prepare the cookie dough the day before.
I may say this a lot, but nothing has been truer than in this very moment… (dramatic? who, me?) … these maple brown sugar cookies are the best cookies I’ve ever made. And that statement holds big weight considering I authored an entire cookbook of JUST cookies.
Maple brown sugar cookies > every other cookie. I know a good one when I bite it!
Plus, this recipe is such a fan favorite, that it deserved a spot in print! You’ll also find this recipe in my New York Times best-selling cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
These Maple Brown Sugar Cookies Are:
- Brown sugared and buttery
- Unbelievably chewy and soft in the center—not cakey
- Crisp on the edges
- Filled with pure maple syrup
- Topped with luscious maple icing
The maple icing sets, so these are perfect for stacking and transporting. Because, trust me, you’ll want to bring these everywhere you go. Football game? Bring them. Party? Bring them. Bake sale? Sell them. No occasion at all? Make them.
Video Tutorial
10 Ingredients in Maple Brown Sugar Cookies
We use most of these in maple pecan snickerdoodles, too!
- All-Purpose Flour: All-purpose flour is the structure of the cookie. I played around with different amounts. 2 and 1/4 cups wasn’t enough and 2 and 1/2 cups was too much. 2 and 1/3 cups was the perfect amount to hold up to the liquid maple syrup.
- Baking Soda: Baking soda provides lift.
- Salt: Salt balances the flavor.
- Butter: 1 stick (1/2 cup) is plenty for the maple cookies and be sure you use room-temperature butter. It should be cool to the touch and not overly soft and greasy.
- Dark Brown Sugar: For optimal flavor and texture, reach for brown sugar. I recommend dark brown sugar for extra flavor, but light brown sugar works too.
- Egg: 1 egg provides structure, stability, and richness.
- Pure Maple Syrup: We can’t make maple cookies without pure maple syrup. Avoid “breakfast syrup,” which doesn’t have the same robust maple flavor that pure syrup contains. I played around with different amounts and 1/3 cup is plenty. And, as a bonus, the pure syrup helps create slightly crisp edges.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds flavor. Have you tried homemade vanilla extract yet?
- Maple Extract: Pure maple syrup isn’t enough to guarantee mega maple flavor. Without the crutch of maple extract, the cookies were lacking. Pure maple extract is difficult to find, so reach for imitation. I prefer McCormick brand because the flavor doesn’t taste fake. You can use it in maple pecan snickerdoodles, maple walnut tassies, and maple bacon doughnuts, too!
- Pecans: Nuts are an optional ingredient, but they add awesome (and complementary!) flavor and texture. If you love these maple pecan snickerdoodles, you’ll also love pecans here.
Which Pure Maple Syrup Is Best?
Grade A is good, but Grade B is darker and more flavorful because it’s produced later in the season. Honestly, you can’t go wrong with either here!
How to Make Brown Sugar Maple Cookies
Minimal effort, mega results. ♥
- Whisk the dry ingredients together.
- Cream the butter and brown sugar together.
- Beat in the egg, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and maple extract.
- Mix dry and wet ingredients together.
- Add the pecans.
- Chill the cookie dough. This cookie dough contains an additional liquid (maple syrup), so chilling the dough is crucial. Set aside 2 hours to chill this cookie dough. Without chilling, the cookies will spread into a greasy puddle.
- Roll cookie dough into balls. Each dough ball is about 1.5 Tablespoons, or 35g.
- Bake until the edges are set. Cookies are done in about 12–13 minutes.
Then we’ll obviously drizzle maple icing all over the tops!
That Irresistible Maple Icing!!
You only need 3 ingredients for this super easy maple icing: butter, maple syrup, and confectioners’ sugar. To avoid any lumps, sift the confectioners’ sugar. If desired, a pinch of salt adds exceptional depth of flavor. The wonderful thing about this maple icing is that it eventually sets, so these cookies aren’t sticky or difficult to store.
You have my full support to use this maple icing for anything and everything. We found it to be the perfect finishing touch on these pumpkin crumb cake cookies and these maple pecan slice & bake cookies. Some ideas: on banana scones, pumpkin scones, and apple cinnamon scones, obviously.
By the way! Today’s cookies differ from the Soft Glaze Maple Cookies in Sally’s Cookie Addiction. Those are ultra cakey (think pancakes!) with moderate maple flavor. These are more similar to chewy chocolate chip cookies in terms of texture.
Loving These Fall Cookies Too
- Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies
- Butter Pecan Cookies
- Snickerdoodles (no cookie dough chilling!)
- Oatmeal Scotchies
- Caramel Apple Spice Thumbprints
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Pecan Sugar Cookies
- Brown Sugar Shortbread Cookies
Maple Brown Sugar Cookies
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, 50 minutes
- Yield: 28-30 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
With big maple flavor, crisp edges, mega chewy centers, and crunchy pecans, these maple brown sugar cookies are a definite favorite. Chilling the cookie dough is imperative, so set aside 2 hours or prepare the cookie dough the day before. This recipe is also in my New York Times best-selling cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/3 cups (292g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) packed dark brown sugar*
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup (113g/80ml) pure maple syrup*
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon maple extract*
- 1 cup (120g) chopped pecans*
Maple Icing
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup (113g/80ml) pure maple syrup
- 1 cup (112g) sifted confectioners’ sugar*
- pinch of salt, to taste
Instructions
- Make the cookies: In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a handheld mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat on high speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the maple syrup, vanilla extract, and maple extract, then beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and beat on low speed until combined. Add the pecans and beat on low speed until just incorporated. Dough will be creamy and soft.
- Cover the dough and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours (and up to 3 days).
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. (Always recommended for cookies.) If the dough has chilled for longer than 3 hours, let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before shaping the cookies.
- Scoop and roll cookie dough into balls, about 1.5 Tablespoons (35g) of dough per cookie. Arrange the cookies 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 12–13 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned and set but the centers still look very soft. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Make the icing: In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter with the maple syrup, whisking occasionally. Once the butter has melted, remove from heat and whisk in the sifted confectioners’ sugar and salt. Taste. Drizzle over the cooled cookies. Icing will set after about 1 hour. Store cookies covered tightly at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Allow to come to room temperature then continue with step 5. Baked cookies, with or without icing, freeze well for up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw. Read my tips and tricks on how to freeze cookie dough.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Medium Cookie Scoop | Cooling Rack | Small Saucepan
- Brown Sugar: I recommend dark brown sugar for a deeper flavor, but you can use light brown sugar instead if needed.
- Maple Syrup: Avoid syrup labeled “breakfast syrup” or “pancake syrup,” which doesn’t have the same robust maple flavor that pure syrup contains. Grade A is good, but Grade B is darker and more flavorful because it’s produced later in the season. You can’t go wrong with either in these cookies.
- Maple Extract: Pure maple syrup isn’t enough to guarantee mega maple flavor. Without the crutch of maple extract, the cookies were lacking. I use McCormick brand maple extract. You can find it in the baking aisle or online.
- Pecans: The pecans are optional, but add wonderful flavor and texture. I use unsalted, unroasted pecans, but feel free to use salted roasted pecans or toast the pecans before using, if desired. You can also substitute chopped walnuts.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: To avoid any lumps, sift the confectioners’ sugar.
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Made these for thanksgiving and they were a huge hit, soo delicious! Will definitely make again!
These are absolutely perfect. I love how high they stay — no puddles! This is staying in my keeper recipe box.
I love the texture so much that I wonder if you think it’d work to leave out the maple extract and throw in chocolate chips and use this as a chocolate chip cookie base. Most CCC recipes I’ve tried are too greasy and puddly, even after refrigerating dough.
I’m excited to try these cookies but I have a nut allergy. Is there anything you’d recommend to substitute for the nuts for texture or to add to the flavor?
Hi Michael, the cookies are pretty flavorful with the maple. (Don’t skip the maple extract!) Instead of nuts, they’d be tasty with toffee bits, the Heath brand called “bits o brickle” sold with chocolate chips in the baking aisle. Or white chocolate chips would be great, too.
These cookies are amazing! I used a three tablespoon cookie scoop to make giant cookies and they came out great. I tried the cookies before the frosting and they were good, but the maple frosting really brings it all together! Also, love the crunch that the pecan brings to the cookie. Next time I might try roasting the pecans before adding to the dough, otherwise, perfect recipe as written. Thank you Sally!
These look amazing and I am excited to make them. How do they freeze? Can I freeze them with the icing on? And tips would be appreciated.
BTW, I love so many of your cookie recipes. This is my first stop when I want to bake something that I know will be delicious. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Rhonda, Yes Baked cookies, with or without icing, freeze well for up to 3 months. See the recipe notes for details.
These are delicious! The texture is like a good cookie should be-not cakey or shortbread-y. I used walnuts and I did use breakfast syrup because it’s what I had on hand. I will definitely make again.
OMG!!! I found this recipe while on the hunt for great cookies to make for my family and office holiday party. These are now by far my favorite cookie of all time. Thank you SO much!
Just made these for the third time in a month! My whole family loves them, my husband even deemed them his favorite cookie! Don’t skip the glaze or the pecans!
I’ve made these a few times and they’re fantastic- I love the texture! Last night I made them with a small twist: subbed out maple for honey! I used 1/3 cup honey, omitted the maple extract, and added some cinnamon. Whipped up a quick sticky glaze with butter, honey, and icing sugar and these were amazing! Same chewy texture and rich flavour. Keep posting these great recipes!
Made this cookie and my son deemed them as dangerous. They are sooo good. Keeping this recipe handy.
Love this recipe so easy and most of all delicious. Just the right balance of sweet. Made with walnuts. Thank you…now will be a regular
Delicious! Followed the recipe to a T and cookies came out chewy and perfect. I highly recommend using a scoop like she suggested rather than a spoon and forming a lot with fingers – the dough melts super fast even after 3 hrs in the fridge, so my 2nd tray was almost room temp by the time I got to it and the cookies turned out a lot flatter. Maybe refrigerating the batch for a few minutes in between would be helpful if that’s the case.
Sally, would this recipe work as a bar cookie, rather than individual cookies?
Hi Paula, Sure can! I recommend a 9×9 inch baking pan for cookie bars. 350F, but I’m unsure of the bake time. You can use a toothpick to test the center for doneness. If it comes out clean, they’re done. Enjoy!
Do I need to chill the dough if I’m making cookie bars?
No need to chill for bars, Katie 🙂
A friend shared these cookies and recipe with me. I have the cookie dough chilling as I type.
They were SO GOOD
These are such good cookies, I’ve made them twice in the last few weeks for family get togethers. There is a lot to said for a recipe that just works.
Just made a second batch of these at my husband’s request – they are so good! On a side note, they travel well.. first batch went on a 5 day trip with us in our camper, they stayed fresh, didn’t crumble or melt, and the last two were as good as the first.
I used light brown sugar instead of dark, replaced the maple extract with a scant tsp of almond extract, and swapped out chopped pecans for 3/4 cup pecan chips (smaller pieces of pecan). Makes for a nuttier flavor with a hint of brown sugar and maple. They taste AMAZING. Thanks for the great recipe!
I made these yesterday and they were amazing! Even my husband who hates maple flavors ate half the batch 🙂 . The only thing is they were too sweet for my taste. Great recipe regardless.
So far so good on the batter, chilling in the fridge right now. Im only chilling for the 2 hours so should I allow to thaw a little before baking??
I love these cookies. I actually use the base dough for my chocolate chip cookies. My husband says these are the best cookies. I also like to change it up by adding in dried fruit with the nuts. It’s delicious
SO GOOD!
I made these this past weekend – made the dough before dinner, and by the time dinner was done and eaten, the dough was chilled and ready to be baked up for dessert. The recipe was super easy to follow and everything came together exactly as written. I found maple extract (McCormick brand) in the spice section of my grocery store, next to the other extracts (it was even on sale!).
I wouldn’t change a thing! The cookies were perfectly soft, but not too soft. And deliciously maple flavored. My whole family loved them and I could definitely see a request to make these again in the future. Thank you!
These are so good! Soft and chewy. Thanks for another great recipe, Sally!
These cookies are fantastic! My sister is a maple fan and I just finished these to mail to her. She is recuperating from an emergency appendectomy! I’m sure she will LOVE them…I sure do!!
Yes, yes, and yes! I made these with my 11- and 6-year-old grandsons. Their mom and my ever-so-particular husband raved. She asked for the recipe (unheard of). When I played our usual “how many out of 10” rating game with my husband, he gave it a 10.
Sally, I am helping my son have school at home this semester and made these amazing cookies for my son and grandchildren on a Sunday. Felt sort of guilty when Quinn and Faye, who rarely have access to sweets, helped their Dad finish the whole batch in less than three days. I will only make these once a month; but definitely will keep making them. Many thanks for this new recipe.
Only problem with these cookies – I could eat them all!!! So good. Always turn out perfect!! My youngest said the smell like pancakes when he came in – so delicious!! Sally does it again!
These cookies are great. I used walnuts because that is what I had. The cookies are actually better the second day, when the Maple flavor becomes more pronounced. They will definitely be kept on my fall recipe list!
So good!! This is a perfect recipe! Three people told me it was the best cookie I’d ever made!
Instead of using 2 1/3 cups of flour, can i use 1 1/3 cup of flour and 1 cup of oats??? I just love the crunch of an oatmeal cookie but love this recipe !
Hi Victoria, I don’t recommend replacing any flour with oats. You could try adding some oats to the written recipe, but I haven’t tested this. (Or try baking the cookies 2-3 extra minutes so they’re a little more browned and crisp.)
How important is it for the cookie dough to be chilled for 2 hours before baking? I want to make these but don’t have time for the chilling process lol
Hi Brooklyn, the cookies will overspread into flat greasy puddles– a waste of time and ingredients! Chilling is the most important step for the texture, taste, and appearance.
I always roll the cookies into balls before I chill, then it takes less time to chill- probably about 30-44 minutes, and they turn out perfect.
Made these over the weekend and they are definitely going to be a family regular. They are delicious! Everything I want in a fall cookie. I couldn’t find the maple extract and I still thought they had a nice maple flavor from the icing especially. A+ cookie! Thanks Sally!
Thank you Holly for the follow up – I live outside of any Amazon delivery zone so I was unsure if I could go ahead without maple extract. Still yummy
These were some of the best cookies I have ever made. They were soft but the frosting and pecans gave it a slight crunch. I couldn’t stop eating them. They are definitely my new favorite!!!!
Maple flavored anything is my favorite and I have to say these are absolutely delicious. I followed the recipe to the tee except I replaced the butter in the batter with butter flavored crisco. It made the cookies thick and extra chewy with no chilling required. I swear my husbands pupils dilated with his first bite. These are a now staple in my cookie collection. Thank you Sally!